>> join us tomorrow for another edition of "crossfire" aaron burnett "outfront" starts right now. next, the president gets personal about in america. getting high and the shooting deaths of trayvon martin and jordan davis. plus the former head of the cia warns vladimir putin may be on the verge of going on the extreme. will he use military force? response to our interview with ted nugent. will the texas gubernatorial candidate ever campaign with nugent, again? he answered. let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone.

i'm a i'm erin burnett. the president launching an initiative, one very personal to him, about young men as color. the president actually talked about growing up without a father figure. >> i didn't have a dad in the house. and i was angry about it, even though i didn't necessarily realize it at the time. i made bad choices. i got high without always thinking about the harm it could do. i didn't always take school as seriously as i should have. i made excuses. after i was finished the guy sitting next to me said, are you talking about you? i said, yeah. and the point was i could see myself in these young men. and the only difference is that i grew up in an environment that was a little bit more forgiving.

>> the new initiative that the president is launching is called my brother's keeper. founations and businesses that now pledge to donate $200 million over five years to aid young men of color. much more on that amount of money and whether it's significant or not with tavis smily in a few minutes. but don lemon was in the room as the president spoke. don, what more did the president say? he usually doesn't get so personal. he's rather insulated and rather removed. this was a very different man we saw today. >> he's been criticized at times and it was a very different man we saw today. very emotional man. he was very candid. and many said, you know what, it's about time. today, quite frankly, many will say that barack obama became the black president today. he became a president who is african-american, obviously, but he became the person that many people wanted him to be.

many of those who criticized him. what they wanted to hear from him. they wanted him to say so much for so long about how to help young men of color. he was a person to do it and today he did it. and as i stood here not too long ago with magic johnson, the famous magic johnson he put it into perspective. he said it felt like we were in church today. it did. you knew sitting in that room or standing in that room that history was being made. that there was something that was going to be different about this particular initiative, not only from the president, but from the people who were sitting in the room. trayvon martin's family, among them. and jordan davis' family, as well. >> and, don, before you go, interesting. back in 2012, black enterprise magazine interviewed the president. at that time he said, "i'm not the president of black america. i'm the president of the united states of america." do you think that because he's finishing out his second term, he finally feels that he can

embrace that and do you think, what do you think about the fact that at that time he was so hesitant to be defined that way? >> i think that he can embrace it. and i think that, you know, that was the moment in the skin he was living in. that he felt that i must be the president of all of america. and he is. but he can be the president of black america and be the president of all america. he can be the president of white america and be the president of all america. because at certain points in certain times, people need to be helped. some of us need help at any particular time. like the banking industry needed help at a particular time. that didn't make him the president of the banking industry. like the auto industry needed help at some point, that didn't make him the president of the auto industry. but people evolve and the president has evolved, i believe, and now he feels a certain freedom now that he is in his second term and he's thinking about legacy here. >> don lemon, thank you very much. don will have a special program at 11:00 p.m. eastern.

"my brother's keeper" a special on this initiative. the president's initiative comes two years ago to the week that trayvon martin, black 17-year-old teen was gunned down by george zimmerman. a number of parallels were drawn today between that case and another unarmed black teen jordan davis who was shot and killed for playing his music too loud by a white man. the president addressed both cases today and both boys by name. >> aftermath of the trayvon martin verdict and controversy that it sparked, i spoke about the need to bolster and reinforce our young men. and give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them. i'm grateful that trayvon's parents, sabrina and tracy are here along with jordan davis' parents, lucy and ron. >> all right. we've been covering the davis case very closely on the show and joining me now is jordan's

mom. you were referred to by name as we just heard there. what was it like in that room? >> there was electricity and people were so excited and so encouraged and just hanging on every word. looking for something positive and hopeful. and i think they really received that today. >> and, lucy, did you get a chance to talk to the president? how did you end up in that room? did you talk to him personally about your son? >> no, we have not. but we know that he's aware of our case, our trial and our son. >> and let me ask you, you know, you've talked about your son. i mean, i know you had home schooled him. you spent a lot of time working with him and you said, look, he went through a tough time. he struggled in school and moved to be with his dad as he was going through that tough time. do you think the initiative you heard about today would have helped him? >> absolutely. how could it not?

any initiative, any funding, any help given to help young black males, not just black males, but all young men of color to help them become as successful as they could possibly be, help them to really find their hopes and their dreams help them to become all that they're dustined to be. how could you not be encouraged by that. and i think i was able to do that with jordan personally by home schooling him but so excited about the initiative for other men of color. >> i wanted to play for you something else the president said today in that room with you. this was a moment the entire country now remembers. this was the president when he said that the unforgettable words about trayvon martin. >> but, obviously, this is a tragedy. i can only imagine what these parents are going through. if i had a son, he'd look like trayvon.

and, you know, i think they're right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness that it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. >> do you feel, lucy, you know, don was talking a moment ago who was there in the room talking about a frustration among many in the african-american community that the president hadn't directly addressed some of these issues in a front and center way until now. did you share that frustration? do you think things have changed? >> i definitely would not say that it had not been anything he had considered before. i think that president obama has always been very candid in letting the country know that he is the president for all citizens. not just black and not just white but i think in light of everything that has really particularly been happening with young men of color and particularly within the last few years. i think that he has found that, you know, it's time now that he bring this to the forefront,

bring this to light and these are initiatives and things that have to be spoken about and have to be dealt with. >> now, lucy, i know earlier this week "the ant-- at 13 i le whole streets were prohibited to me and ways of speaking, laughing and walking made me a target because within the relative piece of america great violence, institutional, interpersonal, marks the black experien experien experience. i think these talks that we have with our sons, how to address the police, how not to be intimidating to white people. you have lost your son. did you ever think, did you ever have to have these conversations with him? >> i've had many conversations with jordan at many times about

understanding the way the world really is. i would have to encourage him that, you know, jordan, you have every right to exist. you have every right to be who you are. you should not have to act differently, you should not have to dress differently and you should not have to pretend to be someone or anybody you're not. you're valued exactly the way that you are. don't ever let anyone deter you from being who you believe you can be. so, certainly, we've had many kind of discussions like that. many kind of discussions where i had to explain to him, you know, there may be certain people in the community or in the world that don't necessarily like you because you are a young, black male. but you hold your head high and know that you have value, no matter what. >> lucy, thank you very much. >> thank you. lucy mcbeth, jordan davis' mother. does he think the

president's plan to help young men go far enough? the justices like you've never seen them before, ever. new documents released in the chris christie scandal. a rabbi now involved. sorry we'r. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ witmarge: you know, there's in a more enjoyable

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brother's keeper." let's start with the amount here. the president said significant initiative. $200 million. is that a lot? is that a little? what do you think? >> been doing this work for a long time. the kellogg, i've worked with many foundations over the years and i know the good work that they do and my sense is that they would do this work whether presidents have stepped up six years in his presidency or not. i know they appreciate and i certainly appreciate having a presidential partner and doing this kind of work. $200 million is a drop in the bucket given what black men are up against. i'll take it any day of the week as opposed to nothing. >> what do you make of some of the people visibly at this announcement? mayor rahm emanuel, former chief of the president, you would expect him to be there. michael bloomberg may be more surprising. >> i tweeted earlier that emmanuel and bloomberg were so

prominently featured because this is the same michael bloomberg that didn't put stop and frisk on the books, but aggressively defend stop and frisk. this is the same rahm emanuel in chicago closing down schools. i think the time is out for political correctness . let's tell the truth. you can't close down schools on the one hand and be my brother's keeper on the other hand. time-out for political correctness. how about my brother's employer, not my brother's keeper. how about jobs with a living wage. these young men want the same thing every other american wants, a job with a living wage, but no real talk about that. >> so, there's 6.7 million young men, according to the census, who are black under the age of 21. as you point out, this program is for men of color, but in terms of black men specifically. 6.7 million of them and the president spoke about the specific challenges that those men face. here he is, tavis. >> as a black student, you are

far less likely than a white student to be able to read proficiently by the time you're in fourth grade. by the time you reach high school, you're far more likely to have been suspended or expelled. there's a higher chance you'll end up in the criminal justice system. and a far higher chance that you are the victim of a violent crime. and the worst part is, we become numb to these statistics. we're not surprised by them. we take them as the norm. >> all right, look, he's right, tavis. but what is this going to do about it. when i read the fact sheet about this thinitiative. they are talking an online portal they're going to create and a new public website that will assess better statisti stan young men of color. it was unclear to me exactly what they're going to do to change what he just said. >> it's unclear to a lot of us, i think, because the deliveerables are not abundantly

clear and not easy to follow. number two, i was trying to suggest, charity is not justice and how do we get at rebelling in and respecting the humanity and dignity of these young men. number two. number three, we recited these things time and time again. the value in this country of a black life does not have the same weight as a white life where these black boys are concerned. if the stats that the president cited today, if these were stats concerning white males in america, we would have addressed this issue as a nation long before barack obama a long time ago and, secondly, it couldn't have taken him six years to get to this if these numbers were the same -- >> why is he doing it now? >> that's a question for the president to answer. a lot of people believe this has something to do with legacy building and i'm not so put off by that per se because i would rather him do something than not do something.

he and the first lady wants to work on these kind of issues. he would be the greatest ambassador these kind of issues could have. but it can't be just about legacy building, but the m humanity and dignity and we have to do more than just try to match foundations with corporations. that's a good start, but there's a long way to go here. >> tavis smily, thank you very much. really appreciate your perspective. much more on the president's announcement on the cnn program a don lemon special tonight at 11:00 p.m. eastern. ted nugent told me this week he's a changed man. will the texas candidate's governor ever campaign with nugent again? guess what, we went out today and we got greg abbot to talk. plus, something you've never seen before what a hidden camera reveals inside the supreme court. aflac.

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ever been permitted but all spectators and members of the media are screened. a protester stands up and escorted out by security. they did this on purpose. i'm making this point. only two known pictures of the court in session, both taken by still cameras smuggled inside the camera. joining me now cnn legal analyst jeffrey toobin. i am making a big deal of this. i remember sitting in that court, i was a student at the time. an incredible moment, you are never allowed to take anything in to photograph it. a lot of people who say this is completely inappropriate and the justices have kept the cameras out. what do you think of this? >> i'm baffled because i've been in the court many times and even the news media has to walk through metal detectors. we're not allowed to bring electronics in. everybody passes through the medal detectors. something happened here. there was a lapse and the supreme court has said they're investigating and that's

certainly what it looks like in there. but i certainly never expected anyone to be able to smuggle a camera in there. >> i guess that's pretty frightening to the point, how could it even have happened? if that happened what else could get in. should cameras be allowed in? >> there are perhaps good arguments against cameras in trials. you have witnesses, you have jurors that might be intimidated and none of those apply at the supreme court and these are the most important issues in our legal system that are being debated there. the justices simply don't want it. i think the main reason is they don't want june ston stewart to fun and they do release audio at the end of the week when they

have arguments. ed i i'd be willing to bet live audio streamed on the web in the next few years. but events like today make video even less likely because the justices don't want any part of it. >> interesting you call them knuckleheads and then i think about the world and i think, it just may not even be possible to stop it. we'll see, it is pretty incredible. jeff toobin, thank you. newly released documents in the chris christie investigation. a rabbi now part of the scandal. plus, a discussion from the head of the cia. >> it's very clear that nsa's policy masters have pulled them back. they're less aggressive than they have been in the past. a'e increases at the age of 80. helps reduce the risk of heart disease. it seems that 80 is the new 18.

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vladimir putin beating the war drum less than a week after the olympic games. mobilizing forces preparing to crack down on the former soviet state of ukraine. today russian fighter jets dispatched to patrol the borders nearly 150,000 russian troops are now in military exercises in that region. russia says it will respect the territorial of the ukraine but

them invading before and a clear show of force as a message of the united states. shortly before this show i sat down with the former chief of the nsa and the cia. general michael hayden and also a principal of the chertoff group and i asked him what this means to the u.s. and russia? >> as important as ukraine is to us, it's absolutely critical to putin and his broader, greater russian federation. secretary kerry has said some things today. he said, you know, this isn't a resemption of the cold war and this could be win/win. and that's noble and, gee, i wish it were so. but this is not win/win for vladimir putin. vladimir putin he views this as zero -- should that affect our behavior? i don't know. but we really have to appreciate that for him this is a zero sum game. he's not looking for a win/win

scenario. it is, not my words, but they are wonderful words. it was a description of how the europeans deal with the ukrainian crisis two, three weeks ago and the observation was they brought a baguette to a knife fight. and we need to be very much aware after the -- to the extremes that putin might go to because his perception of this isn't win/win. his perception is win/lose. >> extremes are military confrontation. >> one would hope he doesn't do that. he is going to play hard ball over a long period of time because a ukraine outside of his orbit and firmly in the western camp is probably unacceptable to him. so, now, what's the correct? secretary kerry really believes in win/win. what is the acceptable, political status of the ukraine going forward? >> does the u.s. allow that? does the u.s. say, is the united

states going to decide, we don't care. it stays and going to let it go or is the usa no and say military intervention from the u.s. side. >> after the fall of the -- not just the state but the american people were very active. for the last seven or eight years we are less present in that area. more of these states are moving back into an orbit that is controlled by the russian federation and many people actually would rather be are complaining about our lack of presence there. that's a great question that you ask. how much is the president and how much is the administration willing to put their personal energy and their personal prestige and their political prestige for a robust policy in that part of the world. >> sounds like you're saying they probably won't. but the question of should is a

significant one to allow an entire, you know, the iron curtain, the cold war, the -- >> a standing goal of american diplomacy since bush 41 in 1991 was a europe whole, free and at peace. all right. we're now approaching the last chapter of that. can we pull that off? can we make ukraine part of europe, a europe that is whole and at peace? >> so, intelligence officials are talking about the "warning time." if he were to do something militarily that is an incredibly short window and the united states wouldn't have enough time to move since that wind o is so short. also from the entire side of the story, how hampered is american intelligence? are we hampered in getting crucial information that could a

affect a situation of war? >> those guys out there at the fort, they know the mission, they're focused and they really are. you know, i was talking to the folks who know this better than i, people still in government and we used to ask, what are your priorities? traditional priority is counterterrorism and offense and you'd list that. right now the most time-consuming element of the nsa workforce is the snowden damage assessment and responding to all these accusatory and prosecutorial stories that continue to appear in the press. so -- >> not playing defense and circling the west. they're not -- >> they're good guys and working hard, but they're human beings, too. and this is the distraction. and the snowden events and they've got to focus, they've got to focus on the mission. >> is the nsa now, i mean, obviously, there are going there be some changes coming forth. they will be doing a little bit

less or doing things differently. are they logging fewer calls and are they already because of the snowden situation getting less information and having less of a chance to intercept the next, i'm not just talking about putin here, obviously. but i'm talking about a terrorist event. >> look, collecting intelligence is actually a servant of policy. and policy makers want information but they also want you to require the information in a way that doesn't create greater risk, political diplomatic risk for them. erin, as you suggest, it's veclr that nsa policy masters have pulled them back. they're less aggressive than they have been in the past. now, this is not that exceptional. i had political guidance, too. the bush administration. some things i could do, frankly, i wanted to do that they said, gna nah, let's pull back from that and not do that. a lot more of that now. now, we'll get surprised and we'll miss a few things and that

pendulum is going to swing back in the direction of being more aggressive. >> that's the key thing i just heard you say. >> of course we will. >> of course we will. interesting comments there by general hayden. newly released documents raising more questions surrounding the scandal of chris christie. redacted documents. david wildsteen then a top executive at the port authority to a top aide to christie. wait a minute, why? along with the photo, a note came saying, kelly's response, clearly. we cannot cause traffic problems in front of his house, can we? wildstein says flights to tel aviv all mysteriously delayed. here's why this is important. six days earlier kelly is the one who sent the now infamous e-mail to wildstein. time for some traffic problems in fort lee. joining me now, political

analyst, steve. wow. this shows this was not a one-time thing. this was an ongoing thing. you would make light about and joke about and put it on many times. >> yeah. look, it is embarrassing. it's humiliating and the part that really gets me and should get any person who cares about people who are put in powerful positions whether you're the deputy chief of staff or the person at the port authority that is how you get across the bridge. >> the busiest bridgei in the united states. >> you're putting people at risk and innocent people at risk and you're talking about this rabbi. but it's like, first of all, you're doing it on behalf of the governor. you are using the governor's name, you're using the governor's influence. you're using the influence of the port authority and i don't know what they're planning to do or not do, but they're threatening to do those things. it is incredibly irreresponsible and childish. the thing that scares me, what if they actually did those

things. it's bad stuff. >> it's very bad stuff. let's just assume because at this point all we can do is assume. the governor knew nothing. but these are the people he surrounded himself by and they thought that this was okay. was this someone acting completely out of school or was this a symbol of a culture and a kind of leadership that this governor puts forth because that really is ultimately the question or not for whether he's the next president? >> it matters for a lot of reasons, not just for the 2016 race. the president is responsible for what these screwballs are doing back and forlth. and that was before we saw this stuff. >> he fired them. >> here's my view. i don't think it is enough. i respect the governor and believe the governor and i don't think he knew about this stuff, but that does not advocate from a question of leadership what you're responsible for. you're responsible for these people. i think more people need to go. more heads need to roll and i frankly don't think you node to wait until the entire

investigation ends and i'll tell you why. certain people like david sampson, i don't think you need to wait. it's not even a criminal matter. i argue when the chairman of the port authority is going back and forth with the executive drebter a and putting out a text message that says, hey, that's the guy leaking information to the press. what is going on? my argument is, you have a question of leadership, of confidence there and with the chairman of the port authority and the executive director going back and forth. i think david sampson is in big trouble and the governor needs to say that. i know he's loyal to him, but sometimes loyalty is a problem. >> thank you very much, steve. as the story continues. tonight, cnn giving you a backstage pass to hollywood's biggest night. you have plans for that probably? in the new cnn film and the oscar goes to features never before scene backstage footage as well as interviews with the world's biggest stars. >> first images of the oscars i had was a black and white television set in long beach,

long island in the '50s. bob hope was the host. >> thank you very much. good evening, ladies and gentlemen. welcome to chance of a lifetime. >> ied are e i'd have to go to around sound effects and i would get up in the morning and in front of my cereal bowl was a list of who had won. >> people who had been big, massive stars for 20, 30 years. even bob hope had been bob hope since 1932. >> i always thought he was going to be the host. i never thought there would be anybody else. >> the heist of sophisticating humor. bob hope at the oscars. >> an undercurrent of nervousness. the whole thing is like a big maternity ward. everybody is expecting. >> oscar traditions didn't invent them selves. >> i see a lot of new faces, especially on the old faces. >> and the oscar goes to, airs

tonight at 9:00 eastern. ahead, greg abbott responds to my interview with ted nugent. nugent says he's a changed man. everybody has been trying to get abbott to answer the question. today an answer "outfront." hey guys! sorry we're late. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪

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so, ted nugent said he's going to change his ways, but is the republican party finally ready to do the same thing. nugent on monday finally told me, he says he's changed. >> live on erin burnett "outfront" remember the alamo february 24th, 2014. i'm not going to call people names knee more. >> i know, to me, i know you're trying to make slightly light of this but to me these things aren't light at all. >> no, i'm not making light. very serious. very serious. >> create more polarization is a horrible thing to do. >> you're right, my children, my brothers, my sister and my wonderful wife have told me that over and over.

and i think at the tender age of 65, i think you're absolutely correct. instead of using terms like subhuman mongrel i'll get right to the meat of the matter where our president is the liar you can keep your doctor, period. over and over again. he lies about benghazi and he's lying about the irs and i won't call names any more. i'll get right down to the nitty-gritty and identify the criminal so i take your advice to heart, erin. >> all right, joining me now is ed lavandera. nugent's comments about the president came to light while he was campaigning with the gubernatorial candidate for texas, abbott. he has been pretty silent about nugent. you found him today. >> well, the questions have been pestering him as a lot of people in the state of texas have seen. we tried to ask him these very questions last week and we were blocked by a campaign aide from doing so.

today we caught up with him at a campaign event in ft. worth and a much different tone and we asked him specifically about nugent's apology and whether or not we would see nugent with him on the campaign trail and today greg abbott answered. >> i have been speaking about this for weeks now and, of course, they bring it up to the distract from the fact that i'm here in ft. worth and i'm here talking about real issues that matter to texas. you know what, that doesn't relieve our traffic problems and it doesn't educate a single child and it doesn't create a single job. as for what ted nugent said, i'll tell you what i've said repeatedly ever since then. i think what he said was wrong. i think he was wrong to say it. i think he was right to apologize for it. and i think that i agree with his position that for him to clean up his language and, you know, raise the elevation of political rhetoric. and i think he's committed to do

that. there's no plans to do that. there's no plans, no plans to do that. >> you have no plans to campaign with him again? >> we don't have any plans to campaign with him. >> now the catch here and there is only ea few days left in this primary election day here is next week. it seems like the door might be slightly open and we'll see if that changes as we head into the rest of the election year and heading into november. erin? >> ed catching up there with abbott. >> sean, good to have you with us. let me just ask you this. abbott there, as you know, when he was talking to reporters and ed lavandera found him he said there are on the campaign issue, will he campaign with ted nugent. no plans to do that. no, we don't have any plans to campaign with him. that's a pretty direct answer, but i'm just never going to campaign with this guy again, i learned my lesson. why won't he go that far?

>> i'm sort of stunned about how obsessed there has been about ted nugent. ted nugent is a hard conservative who speaks to a good number of people to follow and a strong supporter of the second amendment and strong supporter people in texas and other places in the west where his following is obviously would like to have their support. he has said some things he admits were wrong, greg abbott admits are wrong. i'm a little baffled by the week-long controversy over some comments that were made in the sense that you look on the democratic side, senator harry reid called president bush a liar. one of their candidates called our candidate adolf hitler. vice president biden called tea party republicans terrorists. and yet there was no similar outrage about whether they were going to continue to campaign with harry reid or the vice president. so it's almost a total double

standard in the media when it comes to people on the right who equally say -- let me be very clear. i don't think that level of discourse has a place. i think we can have significant policy differences between the parties. but that doesn't mean -- for some reason when guys on the right say something it takes days and weeks of media coverage when folks on the left do it it's sort of fodder. harry reid on the floor -- >> i see your point. these people say these things. and i'm going to agree with you. they're horrible they shouldn't be said. ted nugent said bill mauer used the c word. that is my belief it's disgusting. when you have words like that consistently coming out of someone's mouth, he has a huge following and he's very powerful. that's why people want to be seen with him. and yet when someone says that, the only way to get them to stop would be other republicans saying, you know what, it's not worth it to us. we don't think this is right. so instead of saying, well,

democrats do this, what about answering the direct question of, why can't republicans, including the ones we called, abbott, perry, cruz, none of them have agreed to comment to us on this issue. >> that's not true. i mean, rand paul, ted cruz, i've read all their comments where they disagreed -- >> rand paul came out and said it was inappropriate. >> ted cruz was asked about it and said similar things. >> he didn't say he wouldn't campaign with him again. he didn't say i'm not going to be associated with him. he didn't say that's a problem but i'm not going to go out with that person again. >> first of all, he used words that i agree, you agree, everybody agrees and frankly ted nugent said i'm not going to use those name calling word anymore. he agrees. suddenly the standard is no one can ever be seen with ted nugent again? i think his language was unacceptable. >> he called him a liar and a

racist the next day. >> right. and harry reid called president bush a liar over and over again. and nobody ever asked democrats why they would stop campaigning with harry reid or whether they had to apologize. it's somehow acceptable on the left. and frankly, again i'll be clear, all of it is -- i think that there is no need to get into personal name calling when we have significant policy differences that can be debated, and i think frankly on our side i'd rather get into that. but there is this standard where when they say it on their side, no one seems to ask the same question. why aren't people asking, why are you campaigning with harry reid? just yesterday on the senate floor he said that everybody who has a problem with obamacare, erin, earn who has a problem with obamacare is a liar. so if you have a problem you're a liar. >> unfortunately we're out of time. i hear your point about that. but i also think that you guys have to directly answer the question instead of saying they do it, too. or he called someone names, too. any way, next, jeanne moos and i

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so it's the modern day personal portrait. a selfy. but these closeups, look at this handsome man and beautiful woman. ryan buckley and rebecca samu samuels. amazing producers. selfy has become part of a canine craze. they didn't just take a picture of themselves, they mutt bombed you. it's taking the internet by storm. for real, here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: introducing ethan. the poster boy for mutt bombing

for what? >> mutt bombing. >> reporter: good name, huh? >> yeah. it's been great. we trademarked it and everything. >> reporter: it's a new way to get people to adopt pets. a marketing agency called the este inc. is selecting fun selfies from instagram and photoshoping in dogs that need homes. they really started getting attention when they mutt bombed celebrities ranging from kim kardashian to miley cyrus to morning talk show cohost kathy lee and hoda, mutt bombed by a mutt named chance. but so far, ethan is the star. >> he mutt bombed jimmy fallon. fallon had instagramed a selfy after harrison ford pierced fallon's ear. reall really. >> harrison ford just pierced my ears. this is great. >> reporter: dallas pets alive mutt bombed him with a caption

"dude check us out. we're like fluffy feather-piercing bros. i'm ethan and i'm #mustbombing you in hopes of finding a home. so far -- >> no word from jimmy fallon. >> reporter: but ethan quickly attracted two applicants who want to adopt him. it's not just stars like ellen and ryan gosling getting mutt bombed. food blogger john burger instagramed this selfy on horseback in a couple of days it came back. >> i looked and i was like, oaks there's a dog on that horse. >> reporter: the dog is named royce. john says he can't adopt a pet right now, he loves the way they're using social media. >> get tired of the thousands of sad pictures of dogs in kennels. doing it this way makes it kind of cute and funny. >> reporter: the idea isn't so much for the person who gets mutt bombed to necessarily adopt a pet, but rather for the photo to be shared, to spread the word from a dog reflected in sunglasses to a pup doing the doggy paddle underwater.

dallas pets alive said mutt bombing increased their web traffic 700% the first week, and they soon had ten applications for adoptions. photo bomb this, why don't you? ethan answered with a question. does cnn stand for canine news network? ethan's not just a looker -- >> he's a liquor. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. >> he will lick anything, won't he? >> reporter: new york. >> not just a looker but a liquor. thanks for watching, anderson's next. good evening, everyone. you have to see it to believe it. lawmakers and lobbyists at swanky resorts. money is changing hands. we'll tell you about weekend fundraising getaways that may be legal but they sure smell funny if you think that votes should matter more than dollars. also tonight, president obama making it personal speaking about the obstacle that is young men of color face. there's mistakes that he made in his own life. going to talk about his new initiative for turning at-risk kids into achievers and his